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Girls model school concept is key to promoting gender-responsive public basic school education in the country, the Upper East Regional Programme Manager of ActionAid Ghana, Alhassan Sulemana has said.
He, therefore, stressed the need for stakeholders to play their respective roles in the rolling out of such an initiative, as it would set all children, especially girls, on the path to greater economic opportunities and participation in society.
Mr Sulemana was speaking at an event to commemorate the International Day of the Girl Child in Bolgatanga last Wednesday.
It was organised by ActionAid Ghana, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), on the theme “Model Girls’ School: Promoting safe spaces for girls’ education and leadership.
The event proceeded with a procession by girls drawn from some basic and senior high schools through some principal streets of the town, holding placards with various inscriptions to communicate to the general public the essence of girl-child education.
Some of the placards read “Our time is now, our right our future”, “access to girl-friendly quality education is a right”, “create safe spaces for girls to excel in education and leadership”, “invest in girl’s education” and “empower a girl today, transform the world tomorrow”, among others.
He said the theme was of importance to the organisation as the model girls school concept was catching up well with stakeholders and being implemented across the region with various degrees of success.
“It is, therefore, time for us to put it on the front burner for discussions to chart the way forward on how to consolidate and sustain the gains made so far, as well as tackle the challenges as well,” he added.
He explained that based on the development of 16-point criteria to guide the operationalisation of girls’ model schools, ActionAid had supported the Ghana Education Service (GES) to build and manage such schools in the Oti, Bono, Northern, Upper West and Upper East regions.
The Upper East Regional Minister, Stephen Yakubu, in an address on his behalf, said the Regional Coordinating Council would not only support ActionAid Ghana to maintain the schools that had already been established but would ensure their expansion as well.
The Talensi District Director of the GES, Christiana Azure Ayinzoya, who chaired the ceremony, underscored the need for girls to be guided and mentored by responsible adults for them to pursue and achieve their goals.
